Black Butler II - Season 2 - Episode 12 - Review: "Black Butler"

Black Butler II - Season 2 - Episode 12 - Review: "Black Butler"

Hannah's game, made more clear in the previous episode, reaches its conclusion with this one as the series draws to a close. With the body of Ciel in her hands in which it contains the minds of both Ciel and Alois, she's now set the stage for the two butlers to fight it out using their powers in order to save the one that they're bonded with. Having the two of them fight plainly, not through the sort of gentlemanly way that we've seen several times so far, is a very enjoyable experience since they cut loose. And when they do so, it's not something that plays out for long but rather has a fairly quick sort of intensity to it. The relationship the two have had has been fun and watching it reach this conclusion is pretty well done all told.

Hannah's tale unfortunately hasn't really connected well since, like a lot of Alois' past that we've heard, there's that air of deceit about all of it so that you can't really believe everything you see. It's also made problematic by the fact that it all came really at the end, even if a few small seeds were laid earlier, giving the whole thing a rather rushed feeling as it unfolds. The duel comes across well and that short period for it was wholly appropriate. But as Hannah's tale winds down and Sebastian finishes things off himself, it comes across as being Very Important yet doesn't really feel that way. It's putting on airs it doesn't have the right to do.